Are we numb to mass murder?

Wednesday morning welcomed yet again news of another mass shooting this time in San Bernardino. There were 14 casualties and 17 injured which is certainly a tragic thing to have occurred, but because the 335th mass shooting of 2015, it’s hard to feel a truly deep sense of sadness due to the fact that this is a common occurrence.
Now there isn’t a general sense of apathy. This is obviously a tragedy that must be handled with the utmost care, however, think back to the first time you heard about a mass shooting to present day: do you feel as melancholic now as you did then?
Now it’s presumptuous to assume each of our readers are affected or not affected by tragedies but there is a collective feeling of pessimism. The fact that tragedies like this are practically a daily occurrence is extremely disheartening because it feels like no matter what, there will always be this sort of situation regardless of the countless conversations about gun regulation. However, it’s extremely important that we maintain a balanced sense of optimism and faith in the ideas that we the people can bring change.
Once people start feeling hopelessness, it can really hinder any plans for change because they start to think, “What’s the point anyway? It’s going to keep happening.” While it’s normal to feel pessimistic, we can’t let it break our resolve to advocate for stricter background checks especially since the shootings have been getting closer. There are some who are worried that a tragedy such as what happened in San Bernardino will be hitting closer to home. We should use this time to raise our collective voice and see if we can actually make these politicians do something about gun control rather than having them repeat empty promises but s the saying goes, “change doesn’t happen overnight,” so we must be patient yet active to ensure a better future.